Hot Topics:

A group of migrants gather at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, as they try to pressure their way into the U.S. The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city and says that he has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5,000 Central American migrants who have arrived in the city. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Chris Freind: Don't shed any tears about tear gas at border

A group of migrants gather at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, as they try to pressure their way into the U.S. The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city and says that he has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5,000 Central American migrants who have arrived in the city. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

“There’s what people want to hear; there’s what people want to believe; there’s everything else – and then there’s the truth.”

Every column could begin with that refrain, as the “truth” seems to be either subjugated by spin doctors, or simply ignored. Yet while the truth is never subjective, that hasn’t stopped some from manipulating facts to fit their desired narratives.

Playing loose with the truth, and worse, turning a blind eye when the truth is “inconvenient,” is creating a chasm in America of unprecedented proportions.

Let’s objectively examine some major stories so that we don’t tear up – literally – under false pretenses:

• Tear gassing “children” at the border: Headlines are blaring that the U.S. Border Patrol has been tear gassing women and children trying to enter America illegally – part of the so-called caravan from Central America. Numerous news reports and social media posts claim that the use of tear gas was excessive and unnecessary, insinuating that the migrants were simply standing near the border minding their own business.

Sorry. That’s not just disingenuous, but flat-out wrong.

First, border patrol agents were being attacked with rocks and bottles by an unruly mob. Given that the Central American nations from where the majority of caravan migrants hail are the most dangerous on Earth, it’s not a stretch to think that some of their citizens might also be carrying weapons. Protection of oneself and the border, are, and should be, paramount.

Second, let’s not forget that many in the caravan (which numbers almost 10,000) had already ignored Mexico’s orders to turn back, and, in fact, had just broken through the lines of Mexican security forces. Violence begets violence, and U.S. agents did what was necessary – using a mild type of tear gas to simply disperse agitators. Not only was that action the right protocol, but failure to do so would have amounted to dereliction of duty, placing America at risk.

Finally, let’s be honest: if you are bringing your children to the border, you know there will be risks. Seeking asylum is one thing (and this author is not opposed to granting that status when warranted), but placing your children directly in harm’s way – in the middle of a border fracas – is patently irresponsible. Further, are we really supposed to believe it was mothers with kids in tow that smashed through armed Mexican police? Obviously, the caravan has significant male muscle, yet we barely see them in the news coverage. Why?

Because blaring headlines that children were tear gassed suits political agendas. No country on Earth has an unrestricted open-border policy, (Mexico’s border, for example, is far tighter than America’s), so demands that America accept everyone at face value, with no vetting, and without going through the legal immigration process, is enough to make you cry.

But news stories criticizing First Lady Melania Trump for “Showing Off Christmas Decorations While Children Are Being Tear Gassed At The Border” is enough to make you puke.

And yes, that is a real headline.

• Mississippi Senate race: The last U.S. Senate race in the country is a runoff in Mississippi, pitting incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith (who is white) against Democrat Mike Espy (who is black).

Instead of a healthy debate on the issues that actually matter – health-care costs, job security, educational improvement – the race has devolved into, you guessed it, “race.” Or, more specifically, that Ms. Hyde-Smith is a racist.

Why? Because during an event, she stated that she’d be “in the front row” if one of her supporters “invited (her) to a public hanging.” It was a colloquial phrase that was simply intended to show praise for a supporter. As anyone with half a brain knew, there was absolutely zero racial intent with her statement. Poor choice of words, yes, but no racism whatsoever. But that didn’t stop the Left from inventing a racial controversy when there wasn’t one, since that was their only perceived path to victory. So extremists proceeded to hang nooses around the capitol, and trumpeted signs with messages such as: “We are hanging nooses to remind people that times have not changed.”

That’s great. People are actually equating today’s America – the most tolerant period in our nation’s history – with hanging people more than a century ago. And you wonder why race relations continue to deteriorate?

But of course, that’s not all. Ms. Hyde-Smith was also slammed for visiting a history museum containing Confederate artifacts. Her 2014 Facebook post states: “The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library located in Biloxi … is a must-see ... currently on display are artifacts connected to the daily life of the Confederate Soldier, including weapons. Mississippi history at its best!”

So let’s get this straight. A Mississippian visited a museum that explored the state’s past, including the Civil War and the life of a Confederate Soldier, and for that, she’s labeled a bigot? Under that rationale, all history deemed “inappropriate” by the elitists should not just be revised, but eliminated entirely.

These people haven’t a clue, but the bigger pity is that they have no shame.

Sen. Hyde-Smith will be elected because the majority of people – black and white – see through this garbage. Be that as it may, the fact remains that such intolerance is growing at an unprecedented pace. Ironically, it is the very history being whitewashed that serves as a roadmap for what happens when the intolerant come to power. Lest we forget the adage, “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

• Charlie Brown is “Racist”: This one takes the turkey. America’s so-called social-justice warriors (aka do-nothing Millennials living in their parents’ basements who take to social media – between binge-watching Netflix and sipping lattes they can’t afford – to protest whatever “offended” them in the prior 60 seconds) have slammed the iconic Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special as “racist.”

Why? Because Franklin, the black character, is sitting by himself on one side of the Thanksgiving table. If you’re waiting for the rest of the bigotry, sorry to disappoint. That’s it. That’s the entire reason that social media whiners are in an uproar. Several things come to mind:

The beloved Peanuts Thanksgiving special has been around for almost half a century, and there has never before been a “problem” with it. It’s too bad these armchair critics don’t grasp the level of contempt in which the rest of the country holds them. And given that their modus operandi is: “Wherever there is tradition, break it. Whenever something is loved and accepted, trash it. And whenever a problem doesn’t exist, create one,” it is a justifiable contempt.

Of course, if the tech-savvy generation ever actually used technology for a productive purpose – such as doing research to ascertain the truth – they would have realized that legendary Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz was the antithesis of “racist.” In fact, he bucked editorial pressure when he introduced Franklin into the Charlie Brown gang during the pivotal Civil Rights movement. It was a risky – and groundbreaking – stance, but Schulz's perseverance and courage paid off in a massive way, helping to soften hardened attitudes, and instilling acceptance in future generations.

And so much for racial stereotyping of Franklin, since his official bio states: “Franklin is thoughtful and can quote the Old Testament as effectively as Linus. In contrast with the other characters, Franklin has the fewest anxieties and obsessions …. Franklin might be the only one who never has an unkind word about our hapless hero.”

Now that their “Peanuts-is-racist” claim has been debunked, what’ll be next with the always-offended class? Will they develop an allergy to Peanuts because the cartoon teacher has a “speech impediment?” Or because there is no helicopter parenting? Or because Snoopy sometimes exudes an anti-aviary attitude toward Woodstock? Good grief! Enough is enough.

No matter what the snowflakes say, you’re a good man, Charlie Brown!

Chris Freind is an independent columnist and commentator whose column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at CF@FFZMedia.com.